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Movie, music, TV and tech news as seen and heard from the "heart of it all."

Summer TV to fill in the gaps

By: Susannah Elliott

The Columbus Dispatch - June 16, 2013 09:19 AM

If you're like me, you spend most nights of the year looking forward to coming home to a freshly
updated DVR — or, if you don't have cable, new episodes waiting for you on Hulu.

But those days are gone for now. We've entered summer's desert of TV, where your
once-dependable new episodes are now few and far between.

Don't worry. We'll get through it together. There's an oasis of entertainment if you just
look a little harder. Here are some of my recommendations:

Axe Cop (Fox)

Axe Cop began as a
webcomic drawn and written by a twentysomething
artist as directed by his 5-year-old brother. I regret not having followed the webcomic, but my
interest in the TV series is piqued even more after seeing the cast lineup featuring Nick Offerman,
Ken Marino, Megan Mullally and Patton Oswalt. Watch the premiere on July 27.

Breaking Bad (AMC)

This AMC series returns mid-season-5 on August 11 — and we're just eight episodes away from the series finale!

If you haven't been watching, it's not too late to jump on board. And if you
have been watching, you have a chance to review before August. Seasons 1 through 4 are
available on Netflix. The first half of Season 5 can be purchased on iTunes and Amazon Instant
Video, among other video services.

The Fosters (ABC Family)

Disability, race and teen pregnancy already have been assigned to three ABC Family programs, but
I guess the network couldn't decide which issue to tackle in their newest series. The family in
The Fosters, which premiered June 3, boasts adopted, biological and foster kids of
multiple races being raised by an interracial lesbian couple.

"A new kind of family"
is the network tagline. Whether that new kind of family can hold America's interest
remains to be seen, but for now, the critics are still interested.

Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

Were you a fan of Jenji Kohan's
Weeds?

The creator of love-to-hate-her Nancy Botwin is back with another Netflix original series
about a privileged white lady mired in the drug business.

Like Netflix series
House of Cards and the recent
Arrested Development comeback,
Orange is the New Black will make for a good weekend binge-watch — all 13 episodes are being released at the same time, on July 11.

Under the Dome (CBS)

Stephen King adaptations can be tricky, but
Under the Dome, premiering June 24, looks interesting enough that you should check out at
least the first couple of episodes of this 13-episode series.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (CW)

I don't know what Colin Mochrie has been doing since
Whose Line Is It Anyway? disappeared from the ABC lineup in 2006, but I look forward to
seeing him with Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and the rest of the improv crew when they return on July
16 with new host Aisha Tyler.

Wilfred (FX)

From the get-go,
Wilfred seemed to appeal primarily to a cult demographic. But this bizarre, dark comedy
starring Elijah Wood has managed not to get canceled — its third season of understated hilarity premieres June 20.